Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 8 ahead!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of power is working hard to convince audiences that the Dark Wizard is Saruman, but this twist would make no sense. The Prime Video series is determined to beat the bush with its Istari characters. Only in the finale of Rings of power Season 2 saw the stranger finally confirmed to be Gandalf, but the true identity of Rhûn’s Dark Wizard was left up in the air. A few hints were dropped in this latest batch of episodes, including confirmation that there are five Istari in Middle-earth, but that’s about the extent of it.
Istari are Lord of the RingsWizards, which, in canon, included Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and the two Blue Wizards. The old men were actually angelic shapeshifters called Maiar, who assisted the god of Lord of the Rings In the creation of the universe, along with the demigod-like Valar. The five wizards were sent to Middle-earth to aid the Free Peoples in the fight against Sauronwho was also Maya. Ultimately, Gandalf was the only one successful in his mission since Saruman was evil, Radagast ignored his duties, and the Blue Wizards essentially disappeared.
The Rings of Power is a heavy hint that the dark wizard is Saruman
They may not be the same character, but Prime Video creates difficult parallels
While the Dark Wizard may technically be any of the Istari apart from Gandalf (and, let’s face it, Radagast), Rings of power Has created a lot of parallels between the villain and Saruman. Aside from the character’s general look and vibe, the Dark Wizard has a similar manner of speaking to Gandalf as Saruman. The Lord of the Rings. He is no nonsense and a little condescending while still finding friendship and touching on flattery. What’s more, the Dark Wizard’s plan to first join and then replace Sauron is exactly the same as Saruman’s, as well as his response (and rage) when Gandalf declines.
Saruman should not be evil in the rings of power (and this creates a problem)
Gandalf cannot be fooled twice
Of course, the Dark Wizard actually being Rings of powers version of Saruman would be a major problem. While the first White Wizard did, in fact, travel to Rhûn after arriving in Middle-earth, He did not become angry or entertain the idea of ​​replacing Sauron until the Third AgeJust before the events of Lord of the Rings. There may have been signs of Saruman’s corruption in his early days as a wizard (such as his tendency to be jealous of Gandalf), but Gandalf still trusted his superior, Istar, wholeheartedly. He was a friend and a wise companion, – not one who tried to bury pre-hobits at all.
It would make no sense for Gandalf to later trust Saruman after knowing he was once a villain bent on replacing Sauron.
It would make no sense for Gandalf to later trust Saruman after knowing he was once a villain bent on replacing Sauron. It would be a kind of “Fool me once“The situation since being tricked by the same wizard twice would be entirely on Gandalf. The only way Rings of power It would be that Gandalf would lose his memory yet againBut that would basically involve the wizard being killed and reincarnated (as he was in Lord of the Rings). It’s a lot of work to bring Saruman in Rings of power This way, and the plot would feel absolutely ridiculous.
How the Rings of Power can get around his Saruman plot hole
A different identity is better suited for the dark wizard
Hopefully, the hints in Rings of power That the Dark Wizard is Saruman is a red herring, because that’s the only way this plot would make any sense. The character being a Blue Wizard would be a much more logical conclusion Since one account of Tolkien’s work indicates that they established cults in Rhûn dedicated to their own worship. This is basically what the Dark Wizard did, so it seems likely that Rings of power Will eventually take this route in the end.
The blue wizards never appeared in Lord of the RingsSo they are much less familiar to screen audiences. This is perhaps why Rings of power is working so hard to create parallels between the Dark Wizard and Saruman Since the audience will look for the second most famous Tolkien wizard. Still, this continued beating around the bush when there are limited options is a bit frustrating. Regardless, Rings of power has created a problem for itself since there’s no real way to pay off the built-up tension about the character (without completely breaking canon).